The Meaning of Psycho: What It Is and How To Use It

Have you ever wondered about the definition of psycho? This article will provide you with all of the info you need on the word psycho, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word psycho mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word psycho can be used as a noun or an an adjective to refer to a person who is aggressive and emotionally unstable, as well as an offensive word for someone who is a psychopath or psychopathic. The pronunciation of psycho is ˈsaɪkəʊ. Psycho is two syllables – psy-cho. Psycho is also a famous Alfred Hitchcock movie starring Janet Leigh, featuring the famous scene in the shower. Psycho could also be an abbreviation for psychology, like anthro or socio, which also end in logy.

Many different languages contain words that mean psycho. You may notice that many of these words look and sound alike. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same language of origin or root word. This list of translations of psycho is provided by Word Sense.

  • ​​ Sundanese: gélo‎
  •  Portuguese: louco‎, maluco‎, doido‎
  •  Azeri: dəli‎
  •  Tagalog: (literally) baliw‎
  •  Italian: pazzo‎, matto‎
  •  Korean: 미친‎
  •  Hungarian: bolond‎, őrült‎
  •  Japanese: 狂しい‎ (くるおしい, kuruoshii)
  •  Polish: szalony‎ (masc.)
  •  Latvian: traks‎, ārprātīgs‎, vājprātīgs‎
  •  Swedish: galen‎, tok‎, tokig‎
  •  Turkish: aptal‎, deli‎, manyak‎
  •  Dutch: zot‎, gek‎, getikt‎, gestoord‎, krankjorum‎, geschift‎
  •  German: verrückt‎
  •  Greek: τρελός‎ (masc.)
  •  Finnish: hullu‎, mieletön‎, järjetön‎
  •  Macedonian: луд‎ (lud)
  •  Romanian: nebun‎ (masc.), înnebunit‎, tulburat‎
  •  Burmese: နှမ်း‎ (hnan:)
  •  Khmer: ឆ្កួត‎ (ckuət), លលាតែ‎ (lɔlie tae), ឧម្មត្តកៈ‎ (ummatta’ka’) (formal)
  •  Volapük: lienetik‎
  •  Georgian: შეშლილი‎, გადარეული‎, გიჟი‎
  •  Hawaiian: pupule‎
  •  Latin: delirus‎
  •  Indonesian: gila‎
  •  Malay: gila‎
  •  Russian: сумасше́дший‎, безу́мный‎, умалишённый‎
  •  Catalan: boig‎
  •  Czech: šílený‎, pominutý‎, trhlý‎, potrhlý‎, zbavený rozumu‎, ztřeštěný‎, bláznivý‎
  •  Armenian: խենթ‎, խելագար‎, գիժ‎
  •  Spanish: loco‎, trastonado‎, trastornado‎
  •  Arabic: مَجْنُون‎
  •  Cantonese: 癡線‎ (ci1 sin3), 癲‎, 癫‎ (din1)
  •  Urdu: پاگل‎ (pāgal)
  •  Esperanto: freneza‎
  •  Pashto: لېونی‎ (lewanay)
  •  Mandarin: 瘋狂‎, 疯狂‎ (fēngkuáng), 瘋‎, 疯‎ (fēng)
  •  Hindi: पागल‎ (pāgal)
  •  Danish: skør‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: craicte‎, às a chiall‎ (3rd person singular masculine, see entry for other persons)
  •  Maori: pōrewharewha‎
  •  Maltese: miġnun‎ (masc.)
  •  Latgalian: troks‎
  •  Estonian: hull‎
  •  Bulgarian: луд‎
  •  Cebuano: buang‎
  •  French: fou‎

What is the origin of the word psycho?

According to Dictionary, the word psycho comes from the Greek combining form of psȳchḗ meaning breath spirit and soul and the Greek psȳ́chein and psý̄chein to blow, related to psykte and psykter.

How can the word psycho be used in a sentence?

The word psycho (adj.) can be used in many different sentences in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions and start to incorporate them into your vocabulary. You can also try making flashcards and quizzes to test your own knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a few different examples of the word psycho to help get you started.

The psycho killer was driving around heavy traffic at a high speed in a dangerous manner. When he was caught, he was put in the loony bin out of caution. 

The mother’s fears came true in the psychological suspense tale and new year’s first blockbuster novel when her school-age daughter is replaced with a psycho substitute. 

The flavor of the drink reminded Marytts of her time in the psychiatry ward. She had to drink the orange beverage in the psycho-recovery room under the care of psychiatry when her psyche was turned in a violent way.

What are synonyms and antonyms of psycho?

There are a plethora of different words that someone can use in place of the word psycho. These words which have the same definition as the word psycho are called synonyms. Synonyms are a great way to expand your vocabulary and an easy way to avoid repeating yourself in speech or written work. This list of synonyms for the word psycho is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  mad person
  •  bonkers
  •  jerk
  •  daft
  •  psychopathic
  •  psychotic
  •  creep
  •  maniac
  •  eccentric
  •  wacky
  •  sociopathic
  •  mental case
  •  meshuggah
  •  batty
  •  bats
  •  coo-coo
  •  nutjob
  •  nutso
  •  madwoman
  •  bats in the belfry
  •  patient
  •  disturbed
  •  sociopath
  •  cracked
  •  unbalanced
  •  crazy
  •  sicko
  •  geek
  •  idiot
  •  mad as a hatter
  •  crackpot
  •  kook
  •  frenzied
  •  bananas
  •  nut
  •  barmy
  •  paranoid
  •  screwball
  •  sick
  •  lunatic
  •  non compos mentis
  •  sick person
  •  deranged
  •  manic-depressive
  •  head case
  •  looney
  •  not all there
  •  nutty
  •  nutcase
  •  moonstruck
  •  schizoid
  •  screwy
  •  wacko
  •  irrational
  •  nutter
  •  mental
  •  fool
  •  crackers
  •  certifiable
  •  loopy
  •  nut case
  •  psychopath
  •  insane
  •  brainsick
  •  maniacal
  •  insane man
  •  weirdo
  •  kooky
  •  delirious
  •  demented
  •  madman
  •  schizo
  •  basket case
  •  loony
  •  nuts
  •  crazy person
  •  meshuga
  •  freak
  •  crackbrained
  •  touched
  •  silly
  •  weird
  •  unhinged
  •  mentally ill
  •  loco
  •  unstable personality
  •  loon
  •  aberrant
  •  gaga
  •  foolish
  •  mad
  •  schizophrenic
  •  paranoiac
  •  cuckoo
  •  crazed
  •  manic
  •  fruitcake
  •  madperson
  •  around the bend
  •  bedlamite

There are also many different words that mean the opposite of the word psycho. These opposite words are called antonyms. Learning antonyms for different words is also a great way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word psycho is also provided by Power Thesaurus.  

  •  rational
  •  sound
  •  intellectual
  •  in your right mind
  •  intellectually honest
  •  healthy
  •  clearheaded
  •  sapient
  •  simple
  •  straight-thinking
  •  advisable
  •  psychologically correct
  •  analytic
  •  standard
  •  commonsensible
  •  right smart
  •  consistent
  •  sedate
  •  stable
  •  legitimate
  •  in one’s right mind
  •  rated
  •  justified
  •  right minded
  •  just
  •  acceptable
  •  regular
  •  all there
  •  levelheaded
  •  self-possessed
  •  solid
  •  reasoned
  •  good
  •  commonsensical
  •  responsible
  •  firm
  •  justifiable
  •  right-minded
  •  realistic
  •  sapience
  •  abled
  •  sagacious
  •  practical
  •  in reason
  •  legit
  •  intelligential
  •  staid
  •  politic
  •  natural
  •  fair-minded
  •  clear headed
  •  commonsensica meaningfull
  •  analytical
  •  compos mentis
  •  moderate
  •  mentally sound
  •  right
  •  psychological stability
  •  prudential
  •  able to think clearly
  •  robust
  •  plausible
  •  sane
  •  prudent
  •  common sensible
  •  common-sense
  •  able to reason clearly
  •  steady
  •  normie
  •  discerning
  •  commonsense
  •  common-sensical
  •  reasonable
  •  sober
  •  even
  •  sensible
  •  right in the head
  •  in possession of all your faculties
  •  ordinary
  •  intelligent
  •  credible
  •  balanced
  •  level-headed
  •  poised
  •  down-to-earth
  •  informed
  •  believable
  •  coherent
  •  lucid
  •  salted
  •  normal
  •  of sound mind
  •  grounded
  •  of sound judgement
  •  sane person
  •  judicious
  •  logical
  •  no-nonsense
  •  wise
  •  clear-headed

Overall, the word psycho means insane or crazy in the UK and America. This word can be used to refer to someone with serious mental problems esp. psychosis. Related words include psychotic, psychosis, and more. 

Sources:

  1. Psycho synonyms – 523 Words and Phrases for Psycho | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Psycho antonyms – 141 Opposites of Psycho | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Psycho Definition & Meaning | Dictionary 
  4. psycho: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  5. Psycho definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary